From Best Friends to Forever

Our story began during our sophomore year at Texas A&M University, where we were both part of an organization called ExCel. By chance (or maybe fate), we were paired together as “ExCel parents” for a group of incoming freshmen. Through that group, we started attending events together, carpooling across campus, and quickly realized how much we had in common. Before long, we became inseparable study buddies and best friends. Everyone around us swore there was something more between us, but we insisted we were just friends (and really believed that) — for about a year and a half, at least. Eventually, we decided to give in to what everyone else already saw, and we’ve been inseparable ever since 2020. After graduating in 2021, life took us in different directions—Garrett to Georgia for his Doctor of Physical Therapy program and Mackenzie to Houston to prepare for medical school. Despite the distance, we supported each other through every late-night call, exam, and milestone. In May 2024, Garrett finally graduated, packed up his car, and drove 13 hours straight to Houston, where we could finally start this next chapter side by side. In 2025, Garrett proposed in College Station, the place where it all began—and where Mackenzie’s parents also got engaged 30 years earlier. Continuing that Aggie tradition made the moment even more special, marking the perfect full circle to our story.